“Off the Street”

The “gifts for guns” exchange conducted on Saturday at six area drop-off locations netted 98 firearms, including a German World War I pistol and a Japanese World War II rifle.

“You could clearly see the relief on those people’s faces” when they turned in the guns, said Baystate Health spokesman Benjamin C. Craft.

Criminals are known to favor century-old German pistols and WW2 Japanese rifles.

As for “off the street,” these aren’t “off the street” if, by “street” you mean out and in use. These are obviously NOT in use and owned by someone who will NEVER use them. Otherwise they wouldn’t have, you know, been turned in for a grocery card.

Sent in by a reader who writes:

All the content you’ve come to expect is there: the little old lady with the valuable turn-in that goes to the blast furnace instead of a dealer or musuem; the accompanying photo of weapons turned in, comprising antiques and scoped rifles; and the language of how it’s x guns now “off the street”, although the article clearly explains that most of this stuff is antique or in peoples’ homes and NOT under someone’s trenchcoat.

Anything valuable could have been sold, or even given as a gift-in-kind for a tax benefit. It would have been worth exploring whether the Springfield Armory Museum operates as a 501c3, and would have accepted a historic weapon. Might have been nice to get rid of a firearm you don’t want AND get yourself a nice deduction too.

3 thoughts on ““Off the Street””

The article didn’t give the value of the “gifts.” A beat-up Arisaka isn’t worth much more than $100. A real Luger in good shape on the other hand… I will bet any amount that the Luger ends up in some cop’s safe.

They had a “buy back” around here that I didn’t hear about till after it was done – $200 for a functioning rifle, $75 for a BB gun

I have an old, non function crosman that I would have given them, and I would have considered the Old Wards Western Field .22 that was Dad’s – except I really think I have a friend who wants it. It was never one of Dad’s favorites (in fact, I don’t think I ever saw him use it except to train me)